2026-09-12 –, D.0.03
Cloud-init is the de facto standard for initial instance configuration across many cloud environments. However, its implementation is heavily Linux-centric and does not map cleanly to native FreeBSD VM images. This talk will describe the project's origins, design decisions, and key implementation details. It will show how the client leverages FreeBSD native technologies—rc(8), flua(1), and libucl—to provide a lightweight, fully integrated cloud-init-compatible agent. The resulting solution is robust enough to support OpenStack and numerous public cloud providers, while also fitting smaller ISP-provided VM appliances that expose basic virtualization features. Attendees will leave with a clear understanding of the tradeoffs made, integration points, and real-world deployment considerations.
Baptiste Daroussin (bapt@FreeBSD.org) is a long-time FreeBSD developer and infrastructure maintainer. He serves on the Ports Management team and has been active in package and build infrastructure. Baptiste has presented on deploying FreeBSD in diverse environments and contributes to FreeBSD cluster and postmaster administration. His work focuses on making FreeBSD packaging, automated building, and system administration reliable and maintainable for both large cloud deployments and smaller ISP or appliance use cases.